Change in the Wind
by Capitaine Odette
Summary: A Captain Swan/Regina Mills AU. Everything is going well for two couples who have never met: Emma Swan and Killian Jones just got engaged, and across town Regina Mills and Robin Locksley recently married and merged their families. What happens Regina's adopted son Henry decides to track down his biological mother in the seaside town of Storydale, Florida?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This fic is dedicated to thejollyduckling –Happy Birthday Lydia! Thank you for being the cheese to my macaroni_ _J_ _I've had this idea for a little while now, and your birthday is the perfect excuse to finally try my hand at writing a multichapter fic about our three favourites: Emma, Killian, and Regina. I am thankful to hezzer14 for her advice and words of support, and to onceuponawhine for being my beta. The awesome banner was made by cutlasswans. I am excited to tell this story, and I hope you enjoy the first instalment!_

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Emma entered the kitchen and deposited the dirty dishes on the counter. She took a deep calming breath, trying to keep her nerves in check. She could smell the salty ocean air coming in through the open door of the balcony. She walked over the look out over the marina below, the boats gently bobbing in the intercoastal waters. The winds hadn't picked up yet and the breeze was gentle and warm. She'd moved in a year ago and the view still never ceased to amaze her.

She heard the door open behind her, Killian carrying some plates. He saw her standing by the door, and gave her a sympathetic look. He knew she was nervous about the evening, and he set the plates down and approached her. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her right behind her ear.

"Swan, there is no reason to be nervous. You know my brother and Elsa love you. And I'm pretty sure David won't try to sabotage us...right?" Killian asked with a smirk. He always knew how to make her smile. Emma was a bit apprehensive about David's reaction. He had been her friend since childhood, and she considered him to be almost like a brother. He couldn't help but be protective and had taken some time to warm up to Killian. She had no doubt that he liked Killian, they had recently started hanging out without her, a good sign.

"I know. I know it's going to be fine. You were right, we should have just told them when they arrived rather than wait until dessert. The anticipation is only making me more stressed about the whole thing." Emma leaned back against him. They stayed like that for a moment, Killian holding her tight.

"Ok, I guess we better go in there, they'll be wondering what's taking so long." Emma said as she pulled away from his embrace. "So we're sticking to the plan, right?"

"Aye. I do the talking." Killian winked as he grabbed the cake from the table. Emma followed him with the desert plates. Liam, Elsa, and David were deep in conversation when they arrived in the dining room.

"Is that chocolate?" Elsa asked brightly as she looked up at the cake with wide eyes.

"Yup!" Emma replied, instantly relieved that she chose it rather than the carrot cake earlier in the day.

"Oh, that looks delicious!" David exclaimed as he reached for the knife to cut the first piece.

"Hold on, mate," Killian held up his arm in a stopping motion before wrapping it around Emma's waist. "There's something we'd like to tell you guys before we start on desert."

Everyone stopped moving to give the couple their full attention. Emma saw Liam give Killian a knowing smile, while Elsa furrowed her brows. David looked slightly confused, and then stunned. He probably realized the nature of the news.

Emma didn't feel nervous in that instant. Killian was staring at her, beaming with joy. She never thought that this was possible; finding a person to share her life with. After so many years running, she had finally found a home.

Killian turned his attention to the group, holding her tight to his side. "Last night I asked this beautiful, strong, and incredible woman to marry me, and she said yes."

"YES! Congratulations little brother!" Liam shouted as he leapt out of his chair and gave Killian a warm hug. "Welcome to the family, Emma," he said as he hugged her as well.

Elsa gave out a yelp of excitement and clapped her hands before congratulating them both.

David stayed silent for a moment before rising from his chair to walk over to Emma, pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations, Emma," he said in her ear, "I am so happy that you found someone to share your life with."

Emma felt her eyes start to well up with tears. She was overjoyed that he was happy about the engagement, and she fought hard to keep it together. She quickly brushed away her tears before pulling back to thank him.

David turned to Killian, "You better treat her right, or you'll have me to answer to," he said rather seriously.

"I give you my word of honor," Killian replied solemnly. David smiled and they gave each other a backslapping hug.

"I think this calls for a celebratory beverage of some kind, no?" Liam said with a wink.

"Aye, we've got champagne in the fridge!" Killian replied with a smirk.

"We do?" Emma was incredulous, but then she noticed Liam's knowing smile, "You knew, didn't you?"

"Who do you think helped him pick the ring and calm his nerves, lass?" he chuckled.

They celebrated well into the night, drinking champagne and eating chocolate cake. Liam regaled the group with the tale of their adventures in ring shopping, and Elsa gave wedding planning advice. David continued teasing Killian with increasingly hilarious threats, to which Killian replied with comical pronouncements of his own.

Emma felt a warm glow of happiness as she sat at the table surrounded by her loved ones. It was a long way from her darkest days, and those days never seemed so far behind her than they did at that very moment. The evening wound down, and Liam and Elsa were the first to announce their departure.

"We've got to get going, we've got to relieve the babysitter. I'm sure you'll have a similar problem soon enough." Liam joked.

Emma felt her shoulders tense at the last statement. She and Killian had briefly discussed kids, and he knew this was a painful topic for her. He and David were the only people who knew about her past, about the pregnancy and the adoption. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to have kids. It was complicated.

Killian placed his arm around her waist and answered; "Next thing you know you'll be picking out retirement homes for us." Emma loved that he was skilled at the art of deflection.

"Liam, leave them alone, they just got engaged!" Elsa said with a roll of her eyes.

David congratulated them both sincerely, and made plans to see Emma the next day at lunch. Once everyone was gone, Emma and Killian collapsed on the couch in the living room.

Killian rubbed his cheek with his hand, "That was so close to perfection, I'm so sorry my brother nearly ruined it with the kids comment, love."

Emma leaned against his body, her head nestled on his shoulder. "It's fine, I'm sure there will be lots of comments like that. I need to get used to it." Killian kissed the top of her head gently, stroking her hair with his fingers while his prosthetic arm pulled her closer to him.

"Aye. Like I've said, Swan, I would love to have children with you if that is what you want. But you are more than enough family for me."

Emma turned her body to the side to kiss him softly, her hand cupping his cheek. She could hear the wind blowing harder outside, the windows rattling from the force of the gusts. The scruff of his beard tickled her cheeks as she kissed him more urgently, when suddenly they were startled by the doorbell.

"Do you think someone forgot something?" Emma asked, looking at Killian quizzically as she stood up

"Maybe David thought of another threat and felt compelled to come back to tell me in person!" Killian shouted as Emma walked to the front of the apartment.

Emma opened the door, and looked down to see a young boy staring up at her, his brown hair tossed around by the wind.

"Uh, can I help you?" Emma asked, confused by the presence of a 10 year old at her doorstep late at night.

"Are you Emma Swan?" the boy asked in a cute, slightly squeaky voice.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"My name is Henry. I'm your son."

Regina re-read the same sentence of her book for the third time, her eyelids heavy with sleep.

"Robin? You awake?" She said as she turned to her new husband.

"Mmmmm, barely." Robin replied sleepily.

"Sorry. I'm just going to go check up on the kids." Regina got out of bed and put on her slippers. She had gotten into the habit of checking up on them every night ever since Robin and Roland moved in after the wedding.

Roland had been having trouble sleeping in his new room, taking longer than usual to fall asleep. Henry had been staying up late reading. He had been acting rather sullen, but that seemed like a natural reaction to the new reality. The family merger had gone pretty well, but it was a big change and it would take time to adjust.

Regina peeked her head into Roland's room. He was sprawled in a ridiculous position, his feet sticking out from under the covers and an arm bent over his head. Regina entered the room quietly and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

She walked down the hallway to Henry's room, passing a newly-framed wedding photo of the four of them smiling. She opened Henry's door, and sighed when she saw that he was completely buried under his comforter. That's how he used to sleep when he was little. She approached him and pulled back the covers to kiss him when she gasped in shock. All she found were some pillows and stuffed animals in his place.

She wanted to scream out _HENRY,_ but didn't want to wake Roland. She ran back to her room as quickly as she could, bursting in, "Robin! Wake up! Henry's gone." She was shaking like a leaf.

"Huh? What do you mean, gone?" he sat up, sleepy but alarmed.

"I mean he's not in his bed. He put pillow under his covers to make it look like he was still there. I think he may have run away" A single tear rolled down her cheek as this realization crashed into her.

Robin got out of bed and placed his arms around her, "Hey, don't panic just yet. Maybe he's just downstairs working on one of his projects."

"Operations," Regina corrected. "You're right, let's go look downstairs." She allowed herself to hope that she would find him hard at work, drawings and maps spread out on the dining room table.

Once they got downstairs, everything seemed to be in order, and there was no sign of Henry anywhere. Regina ran from room to room, frantic.

"Henry?! _Henry?_ **HENRY!** Henry Daniel Mills you'd better come out here right now!" Regina was desperate, tearing through every corner of every room, Robin following her closely. She looked into the front closet; his coat and book bag were gone. Regina sank to the floor against the front door, hugged her knees to her chest and began softly crying. Robin sat down next to her, his arms wrapped around her and his forehead leaning on hers.

"He's gone," she whispered as she hugged him.

"We'll find him, Regina. He can't have gone far," Robin held her tight and stroked her hair. "Perhaps we should call the police," he suggested.

Regina took in a deep breath as she massaged her temples. "Give me a minute, let me think." They sat in silence for a moment, Regina managing to compose herself as she ran through possible scenarios in her head. _Maybe he had snuck out to go to a friends house? Or to the library?_ Finally, an idea came to her and she stood up and marched off with purpose.

"Regina, what's going on?" Robin asked as he followed her to her office.

"I think I have an idea where he might have gone." Regina said, pulling open her filing cabinet. Her office was in pristine order, and her files were neatly labelled and alphabetized. She shuffled through some files until she found the one she was looking for and pulled it out. It was empty.

"I knew it," Regina said as she started to feel like she had regained control over the situation. "I think he went to find his biological mother."

Regina went to her computer and jiggled the mouse to take it out of sleep mode. She opened up her browser history and scrolled down. She smiled as she saw the evidence of her son's research, and gasped when she zeroed in on the most recent entry: an address in her own town of Storydale, Florida.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This is a continuation of a birthday fic for thejollyduckling. Ok, so it took me wayyyyy longer than I thought to write Chapter 2. Thankfully I've written quite a bit of Chapter 3 so hopefully the next instalment won't take nearly as long! The awesome banner was made by cutlasswans._

"Swan! Who is it?" Killian shouted from the couch. _Who could be at the door so late in the middle of a windstorm?_ Hearing no response, he got up and started walking down the hall to the front door.

He was not expecting to find Emma standing at the door, completely frozen and looking genuinely petrified. A young boy brushed past her and deposited his backpack on the ground, a confident smirk on his face. Emma turned around to face Killian, letting the door swing shut behind her. Her mouth hung open in shock.

"Emma, what is-" Killian started.

"Who are you?" the boy interrupted.

Killian was completely confused. _Who was this boy, and why was he here? And why did Emma look like she had just seen a ghost?_ He cleared his throat slightly before answering, "Killian Jones, at your service. Is everything all right, are you lost?"

"I'm not lost, I came to see my mom." The boy replied, turning to look up at Emma expectantly.

As Killian took in the scene a realization came over him: _this boy must be the one that Emma gave up for adoption all those years ago._ No wonder Emma looked so upset.

"I see" Killian nodded his head at Emma, an attempt to let her know that he understood the pain she must be feeling. She stared back at him in silence. He wanted desperately to hug her, to comfort her. But he couldn't do that with the boy standing right there in his entryway.

Instead, he walked over to Emma and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Perhaps we should go sit in the living room and talk." He motioned down the hall, the boy walking ahead of him.

Killian grasped Emma's hip and pulled her to him as they walked, whispering in her ear, "I'm right here, love. We're going to do this together, aye?"

Emma exhaled loudly, "Yeah, ok."

Henry plopped himself down on a couch, and picked up a ship in a bottle that sat on the end table, examining it carefully. Emma sat down on the opposing couch, her back stiff and her hands fidgeting. Killian joined her, placing his hand over hers to calm her nerves.

"I don't believe you have introduced yourself, lad," Killian began.

"I'm Henry." He answered, putting the bottle back in its proper place.

"Henry," Killian began, "do your parents know where you are?"

"Well….my mom knows," Henry smiled at Emma expectantly.

"Look, kid, I don't know what's going on here. Where are your parents?" Emma spat out the words and looked visibly agitated. She let go of Killian's hand to cross her arms.

"Ten years ago, did you give a baby up for adoption? That was me." Killian was surprised that the boy was so calm and matter of fact. Emma, on the other hand, was looking more and more frantic as she stood up and started pacing the room nervously.

"This is crazy. Does anyone know you're here? And why _are_ you here, anyway?" Emma was practically shaking.

"I'm here to see you. Hey - do you have any juice?" Henry asked.

Emma stopped pacing. "Yeah, hold on." She practically ran out of the room towards the kitchen.

"I'll be right back, lad," Killian said as he got up to follow Emma down the hall. He entered the kitchen to find her leaning over the counter, palms pressed flat against the grey laminate material, her hair hanging loosely between her arms. She was taking long, shaky breaths.

Killian approached her quietly and placed his hand between her shoulder blades. She softened under his touch before standing and turning around to collapse into his arms. They stood in silence for a moment, Killian stroking her back, Emma burrowing her face in the nook of his neck, her breath warm on his skin.

"This can't be happening. Everything was finally on track. This can't be happening." Emma repeated, her voice trembling slightly.

Killian stilled his hand to hold her tight. "I know, love, I know." He could hear the gusts of the wind outside and could make out the palm trees swaying violently through the windows of the kitchen. Emma stood perfectly still in his arms. "Tell me what I can do."

Emma pulled away from him, tucking her hair behind her ears and looking back at him uncertainly. "I don't know. We can't stay in here forever. The kid is sitting there and waiting for us in our living room."

"Aye. Perhaps we should pour him some juice, and see if we can contact his parents before they call the police."

Emma chuckled slightly. "That would be awkward, since _I'm_ the police." Killian was relieved to see her smile, if only for an instant.

"Aye, love That it would. Let's get in there so we can at least prevent any additional complications.

Emma snorted, "Yeah, I think complications is a bit of an understatement, we've got a lot of those already. You're right though, let's do this before it gets any worse."

Henry was leafing through a magazine when they got back to the living room.

"Here you go, kid." Emma said as she handed him a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks," he replied before downing almost the entire glass.

"So tell me, lad, where do you live? I'm sure your parents are very worried, and I think it's time we got you back home."

"I live here in Storydale. My mother is –" Henry was interrupted by the loud sound of the doorbell. _Who the bloody hell could this possibly be,_ Killian wondered as he turned to look at Emma, who looked equally baffled.

"I'll go see what this is about," Killian said as he stood up.

"I'm coming with you. You stay here, kid." Emma said. They started down the hall towards the entrance together, leaving Henry in the living room. "This is insanity, who the hell could it be now?"

Killian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they approached the front door. "I guess we're about to find out."

Killian opened the door, and stared in shock at the woman standing before him. Her chestnut brown hair was uncharacteristically disheveled, but there was no mistaking her.

"Madam Mayor." Killian said, astonished. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" She walked right past him with confidence, glared at Emma and peered down the hallway. Feared by some, respected by most, Regina Mills left no one in Storydale indifferent.

"Cut the crap," Regina replied curtly, "I'm here for my son. Where is he?"

"Your son." Emma repeated in surprise.

"Yes, my son. _Henry_. It seems his computer skills are above grade level and he decided to do some research and go on a little unsanctioned field trip to the home off some strangers in the middle of the night." She stared coldly at Killian before turning to Emma, examining her from head to toe, "Miss Swan, I presume."

"Yeah," Emma shifted her weight from foot to foot. "How do you know my name?"

"How I know your name is none of your concern. What you should be concerned about is what I will do to you if you have harmed Henry in any way." Regina said menacingly, her eyes dark.

"You can rest assured, Madam Mayor. Your boy is safe and sound, drinking juice in our living room." Killian replied calmly but firmly, trying to prevent the exchange from getting any more confrontational. Just then, Henry rounded the corner with a surprised look on his face when he saw who was at the door.

"Henry! Darling! Are you ok?" Regina's face softened immediately. She kneeled down to be on his level, wrapping him in a hug while he stood stiffly. She looked deeply pained and on the verge of tears.

Killian was surprised by Regina's reaction, having expected her to yell at the boy, or admonish him in some way. Her reputation as Mayor painted her as an effective leader, yes, but rather uncaring and harsh, particularly with those who bend the rules. Seeing her practically in tears, hugging her son in his front hall challenged his preconceived notions of the kind of woman she was.

"I'm not coming home, mom. I want to stay here with my real mom." Henry pulled out of Regina's embrace and backed away to Emma's side. Regina glared at Emma in anger.

"Henry, you don't know this woman, for all we know she's dangerous. And I certainly don't trust the looks of guyliner over there. You are coming with me, end of discussion."

"Hey! No need for insults here," Emma interjected, "He showed up at our doorstep out of nowhere, and we've shown nothing but concern-"

"Concern? Concern!" Regina interrupted angrily, "You have no idea what you're talking about. _I_ am the one who is concerned. You may have birthed him but I am his _mother_ , and he is _my son_."

She glared at Emma defiantly and placed her hand on Henry's shoulder, directing him towards the door to leave. Emma's face crumpled as she stood in stunned silence. Killian wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"This isn't fair, Emma is my real mom." Henry pushed his mother's hand away.

"Henry, that is not your real mom. I am your mother, and I love you." Regina's tone softened on the last words.

Killian cleared his throat, "If I may, but perhaps you should go home to your family, lad." Regina tilted her head in surprise.

"Come on Henry, we're going home." She said as she led him out of their apartment and into the stormy night. Their departure was abrupt, and Emma and Killian stood still for a moment after the door closed shut, unsure how to respond after what had just transpired.

Emma took a step back from Killian, her bottom lip trembling. Killian closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her. Emma leaned her cheek into his chest, her sobs gently rocking her body against his. He held her tight with his prosthetic arm, his hand gently stroking her back as her breathing slowed.

A jumble of thoughts rushed through Killian's mind. He struggled with how to respond to what had happened, to comfort and support Emma as best he could. This child, Henry, had been haunting her for years, ever since she gave him up for adoption. It was the source of so many of her insecurities, and her anxieties about getting married and their future together. This was not going to be easy.

Killian wasn't sure what to say, or what to do to help Emma. He was still trying to work out the words to say when Emma suddenly stepped out of his embrace, whipping tears from her cheeks with her hand.

"I've gotta get out of here. Get some air." Emma said, turning to grab her jacket from the hook at the entrance.

"Emma, wait-"

"I know it's stormy out there, Killian. I just need some time alone to think. I'll be safe."

Killian nodded his assent, and Emma turned around and left. Killian stood alone in the entrance, the apartment silent except for the sounds of windows rattling in the wind.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Some Regal Believer feels coming in this chapter :) Special thanks to tnlph and captain-k-jones for starting the csbetanetwork, where I connected with my lovely beta emmaswanchooseyou. This is a birthday fic for thejollyduckling._

They climbed down the stairs to the parking lot, Henry walking quickly ahead of her towards the car. The palm trees were swaying in the wind, their fronds whipping violently next to the lampposts, dancing shadows projected across the parking lot. Regina could taste the salt water in the air, carried over by the gusts from the ocean just a short distance away.

Henry avoided all eye contact and looked resigned as he got into the car. He slowly pulled on his seat belt before sinking lower into the seat, keeping his head turned away from his mother the entire time.

Regina's mind was buzzing with conflicting emotions and ideas. She had absolutely no clue how to talk to Henry about all of this. She had had a clear plan up until this point.

She would drive across town to the address she found on her computer. She didn't know what she would find when she got there, but she had run through various scenarios and gamed out her response to each possibility in her head. She was determined to get Henry back, and thought of herself as a strategic thinker, always one step ahead, anticipating possible outcomes and planning her responses.

But she hadn't thought about what she would do when she had actually found him. When she would have him safe and sound in her car, driving back home. And now here he was, sitting next to her, clearly miserable.

Regina had to say something, but what? She thought about getting angry, she thought about asking him to tell her why he did it, thought about appearing sympathetic, thought about offering reassurances. Mostly she focused on trying to keep it together, because crying wasn't going to help the situation.

She drove down Ocean Boulevard in silence, a mix of vintage motels, timeshare resorts, and shiny new condominiums lining the road on both sides. The ocean came into view between the buildings to her left, dark and ominous in the storm. Regina gripped the wheel tightly to keep the car from being jerked to the right by the powerful winds blowing in from the sea.

She glanced over at Henry, who sat with his arms crossed and his forehead resting against the window. All she wanted to do was pull the car over to the side of the road and hold him like she did when he was little.

They were getting closer to home, and Regina knew that she needed to say something before they got back. Henry would likely stomp up to his room and slam the door, refusing to speak to her. The car was always a good place to talk. He couldn't avoid her there.

Henry had a habit of sharing his worries and concerns when they were in the car alone together.

The time he confessed that he was being bullied at school. When he told her he was scared of his gym teacher. Or when he told her he was convinced that their busy body neighbor Nancy was secretly a demon from the underworld. _When was the last time they were in the car alone together?_ Regina couldn't remember.

She turned right on a deserved Main Street, following the route home, but pulled over into an empty parking space and turned off the car. Henry's eyes moved to the left to briefly glance in her direction, but his body remained tense and still in his seat.

Regina released her grip from the steering wheel to unclip her seat belt, turning her body towards her son.

"Henry," she began, "Henry, talk to me. Please."

Henry didn't move a muscle.

"Henry, I don't know what's going on. I don't know why you ran away tonight, but I want you to know that I love you. You are the most important person in my life."

Regina was startled when Henry audibly scoffed at the last statement. _Is he questioning his importance to me?_ She thought. Yes, the last few months had been chaotic and she hadn't spent as much time with him as usual, with the wedding and Robin and Roland moving in, but there was no question in her mind that she continued to put Henry first. Clearly he didn't feel the same way.

"Henry, I know there have been a lot of changes lately with our family growing, but you have to know that you will always be my first priority."

"If that's true, why was I the only kid whose mom didn't show up to science fair this week?" Henry finally said, avoiding eye contact by staring straight ahead at the empty boulevard.

Regina's head was spinning. The science fair was this week. How could she have missed it? She must have entered the date wrong, or gotten something mixed up at some point. Regina felt sick to her stomach. He had been working on that paper mâché volcano for weeks, making a mess of the kitchen with scraps of newspaper and globs of floury glue everywhere. There was no excuse - she should have known when it was, and she knew how important this was to him.

"Oh, Henry," Regina said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry, honey. There is no excuse; I should have been there for you. I…I am so sorry sweetheart."

Henry turned to look at her, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Regina shifted her body over the gearshift to pull him into a hug. He remained stiff at first, but finally relaxed as he began to cry. Regina rubbed his back slowly, comforting him the way she did when he was small.

"I'm going to make it up to you, Henry. I know things haven't been easy with Robin and Roland moving in. And missing the science fair is my fault. It's going to be better from now on, I promise. I just…please don't go running to…that woman again."

Henry pulled away quickly at the last statement.

"That woman is my mother," he said angrily.

Regina took a deep breath. Now was not the time to get angry.

"Henry, that woman may have given birth to you, but I am your mother. And I love you. You don't know this woman, I don't know her, and we certainly don't know the man that she lives with. I can't let you see her again, I don't want you getting hurt."

"But I'm already hurt. And I want to get to know my family. You're forcing me into a family that isn't even mine. I should be allowed to get to know my real family."

Regina sat in silence for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. She didn't want to take the chance of alienating him further, it would only backfire.

"Henry, Robin and Roland may not feel like family to you right now, but I want you to give them a chance to be your family," she paused, gathering her strength, "Now about Ms. Swan, let me think about it. I don't want you running off again, but I need time to figure out what is best. Promise me you won't run off again, and I promise I will think about it."

Henry looked at her thoughtfully before answering, "Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

Emma pulled the zipper of her hoodie up all the way and she hugged her arms to her body to fight off the chill. She was heading straight into the wind and it was hard to keep her eyes open. They were already swollen from the tears that had started the moment that she left the apartment. Her eyes felt dry though, the tears quickly whisked away by the wind.

Ocean Boulevard was deserted at this time of night, and she crossed over to the boardwalk that bordered the inlet where the intercoastal waters met the Atlantic Ocean. She reached the end of the boardwalk and paused, taking a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness on the beach after the bright lights of the lampposts behind her.

The ocean was crashing against the shore in the distance, great big angry waves pounding the sand with force. White froth bubbled and churned, contrasting with the blackness of the water.

It looked as though the ocean was boiling with anger, the waves swirling menacingly and attempting to sweep the beach up into its depths. During weather like this, Emma always thought that it looked as though some giant sea creature was on the verge of rising up out of the water to swallow her and the city whole.

She stepped out onto the sand and made her way between the dunes where small plants were desperately clinging while being whipped around by the violent gusts. The wind was even stronger here mere feet from the water.

Emma paused once she passed the dunes, looking over at the lighthouse in the distance. Its strong beacon briefly illuminated the beach at regular intervals as it spun, offering her a strange sense of comfort and reassurance.

She remembered climbing to the top of the lighthouse with Killian, their bodies glistening with sweat as they cursed their decision to embark on such an excursion during one of the hottest weeks of the year. The view had made it all worth it. The beach stretched out to the north and south, the intercoastal with its sailboats, yachts, and mansions to the west, and the ocean a perfect blue to the east. The view of Killian squinting in the sun wasn't bad either.

That was months ago, back when Emma was still too afraid to admit her true feelings for him. Killian had made his intentions quite clear from the start, but Emma had been hurt too many times to trust him right away. He hadn't been pushy. He had given her enough space to feel comfortable while making sure to be there for her when she needed him.

That day at the top of the lighthouse was when Emma finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him. They were admiring the view, amusing themselves pointing out local landmarks when Emma remarked how beautiful the marina looked from up high. The marina, where Killian lived and worked with his brother and newly pregnant sister-in-law.

Emma was a bit nervous around Liam and Elsa at that time. They were always warm and friendly, but Emma didn't really know how to behave around people who seemed to have everything figured out. That was one of the things that had drawn her to Killian - they both had pasts they weren't proud of, and were still struggling to figure out how to live their lives.

For Killian, things were about to change in a big way, with Liam and Elsa shopping around for an apartment of their own to raise their child. Emma knew that Killian was anxious about living alone in the apartment he had shared with his brother for the last two years.

She was thankful that despite his stress, he was perceptive enough to notice her unease about Elsa's pregnancy. He had subtly asked her about it several times, but hadn't pushed for a straight answer. It was only the night before the lighthouse visit that Emma finally told him about the pregnancy and the adoption, something only David knew about.

He held her, didn't ask questions. Just let her tell her story, listening intently. She had never felt more vulnerable, and yet more safe in her entire life.

Standing at the top of the lighthouse, looking at Killian's jaw clench as he surveyed the marina below, Emma had had a sudden realization. She was in love with him. Completely and totally in love. She couldn't stand to see him looking at his home, worried about what it would be like to live there alone.

"You know after Liam and Elsa move out, you won't really be alone. I practically live there already, so I'll be there all the time."

"Aye," Killian paused, turning his head to look at her. He hesitated, "You know you could, you know, do it. Live with me. If you'd like to."

Emma was shocked to find that she didn't feel the urge to run. She felt like everything had suddenly clicked into place.

"I would like that."

Emma felt tears welling up in her eyes again as she recalled the happy memory. She rubbed her eyes and made her way farther down towards the ocean, as close as she could get to the waves without them touching her feet. She sank down to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.

She stared out into the surf as a jumble of thoughts and emotions swam through her head. For the first time in her life, things had finally been going her way. She was finally happy. She had a partner, a plan for the future.

And now her past had come back to haunt her. Her past in the form of a little boy, the boy she had given up, and had been trying to forget for ten years. Ten years of burying the shame, the memories. Ten years of dreading the date of his birth, a date that was only weeks away. He was almost eleven.

He had brown hair. And brown eyes. He seemed tall. Was he tall for his age? Emma wondered.

He had a mother. The Mayor of all people. What a disaster.

Emma suddenly felt dizzy, the enormity of it all hitting her full force as she leaned her head on her knees to keep the world from spinning. The wind was whipping sand and tiny specks of water onto her face, the strength of the gust not helping her sudden lack of balance.

She sat there for what felt like an eternity, focusing on her breathing and the sound of the wind and waves, pushing all other thoughts out of her head. She finally looked up when she felt a presence behind her.

She turned around to find Killian standing a few feet up the beach. He gave her a thin smile and a nod, but didn't make a move towards her. He had clearly followed her down here, keeping his distance, but close enough to make sure she was ok.

The old Emma would have been pissed off if someone had followed her like this after specifically telling them not to. But she was different now, and Killian somehow knew exactly what she needed.

She gave him a weak smile and started to cry again. Killian rushed over and sat down next to her. He wrapped his left arm around her body, pulling her closer to him, his right hand rubbing her knee with slow, comforting strokes. She leaned into his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head softly.

"I'm here, love. We'll figure this out together."


End file.
